I just talked to a prospective client. He's in a B2C services market and his only marketing or advertising right now is direct mail based on purchased lists. This used to work fine, with decent ROI, but it doesn't anymore. So, he's naturally looking around for other options. How to respond? The hard part for this guy is that he's got nothing right now. No Web site, no other marketing materials. Just the direct mail. So, I gave him a few ideas: 1. Internet. Pay-per-click advertising mainly. The trouble here is that he has no Web site to send people to, and he can't really afford the site he needs. Still, the PPC charges would likely fit into his monthly budget. So, I thought, what if he just used lead generating landing pages and didn't have a Web site. Crazy or brilliant? 2. Referrals. Chances are, he's not using his current and past clients effectively enough. No newsletter, no follow-up interviews, no asking for referrals. He also has no printed materials to hand out. So, maybe a newsletter? Still, it costs money. 3. Partners and affiliations. I suggested talking to predecessor vendors, those that offer services just before his in the chain of work. A well-founded alliance can help ease the lead generation burden, too. But, is anyone going to associate themselves with a company with no Web site? I woudn't. So, those were some of the ideas I offered. I don't think he's going to buy. He needs a whole set of new materials and a rethinking of how he sells. And this is a very small company. The cost involved is just too high, even though it's exactly what he needs.